KON 4Th Edition Spring 2019

Spring

Camel Driver to
Law Student:

One Man's

AN ICONIC PAKISTANI

Amazing

MOSQUE'S

Journey

PLAZA IS PUBLIC ONCE MORE

SPRING EDITION

Editor in Chief

Christopher Fitzgerald – Minister Counselor for Public Affairs

Managing Editor

Richard Snelsire – Embassy Spokesperson

Associate Editor

Donald Cordell, Wasim Abbas

Background

Khabr-o-Nazar is a free magazine published by U.S. Embassy, Islamabad

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Khabr-o-Nazar, Public Affairs Section
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Content

Content

EVENTS

04

'Top Chef'

Contestant

06

Fatima Ali

on How Cancer Changed the Way She Cooks

A CHAT WITH ACTING DEPUTY

ASSISTANT SECRETARY

08

12

16

HENRY ENSHER

A New Mission

Through a unique summer camp iniꢀaꢀve, Islamabad's police forge bonds with their communiꢀes — one family at a ꢀme

10

Cities of the Sun

Meet Babcock Ranch, a groundbreaking model for sustainable communiꢀes of the future.

Young

Pakistani Scholars

Preparing to Tackle

Pakistan's

14

Energy Crisis

Camel Driver to
Law Student:

One Man's

Amazing

Journey

Consular Corner

Are you engaged to or daꢀng a U.S. ciꢀzen?

18

An Iconic Pakistani
Mosque’s Plaza

19

Is Public Once More

From February 25 to March 8, English Language Specialist Dr. Loꢁe Baker, conducted a series of professional development workshops for English teachers from universiꢀes across the country. The training, co-sponsored by Mission Pakistan's Regional English Language Oﬃce (RELO) and the Pakistan HigherEducaꢀon Commission (HEC), focused on curriculum design and instrucꢀon forteacherswith less than ﬁveyears ofexperience.

E V E spri

In honor of Women's History Month, the U.S. Embassy live-streamed a panel discussion on "Challenges Faced by Female Journalists." Amber Rahim Shamsi (Samaa TV) moderated the discussion and was joined by Fakhira Najeeb (Power 99 FM), Amina Amir (Geo News), Saima Imran (Nawa-i-waqt) and Sarah Hassan

E D I T I O

(VOA Urdu). The live audience included media and communicaꢀon students fromNUSTandBahria UniversityofIslamabad.

On March 22, the U.S. Embassy hosted “Girls Go Digital,” the ﬁrst ever On March 21, the U.S. Embassy hosted young female soccer enthusiasts female coding workshop at the Lincoln Corner at the Internaꢀonal from various football clubs around Islamabad. Aꢂendees watched the Islamic University(IIU).The three-dayworkshopwas aꢂended byover20 movie "Alex & Me" and parꢀcipated in a virtual Q&A session with U.S. girls from various academic faculꢀes. At the conclusion of the program, Women's NaꢀonalTeam star, Olympicgold medalist, and FIFAWorld Cup Angela Cerveꢁ, Counselor for Public Aﬀairs at the U.S. Embassy, Champion Alex Morgan. The event used sports to promote gender

presentedcerꢀﬁcatesofcompleꢀontoalltheparꢀcipants.

equality.

KHABAR 04 NAZAR

During his ﬁrst visit to Lahore, Ambassador Paul Jones experienced Pakistan's famous hospitality in meeꢀngs with government, business, civil society, and mediarepresentaꢀves. AmbassadorJonesalsoparꢀcipatedin the openingofan FIAregional oﬃceandavisitto the LahoreFort.

T S g

Media students from the Centre for Excellence in Journalism (CEJ), IBA learned creaꢀve wriꢀng techniques from the visiꢀng American poet, journalist, essayist and translator Dr. Christopher Merrill. Merrill is the Director of the Internaꢀonal

2 0 1 9

N

Wriꢀng ProgramattheUniversityofIowa.

On March 29 and April 4, the U.S. Consulate in Karachi and the U.S. The U.S. Embassy'sweeklyradio show'TeaTimewith the U.S.' celebrated Embassy in Islamabad hosted their U.S. Independence Day fesꢀviꢀes Women's History Month in March by airing 4 consecuꢀve shows respecꢀvely. The events featured the visiꢀng U.S. Central Command Air highlighꢀng the contribuꢀons of inﬂuenꢀal Pakistani women. We Force band “Drop Zone,” which serenaded the guests from across hosted football star Sana Mahmud, author Dr. Sabyn Javeri, and

Pakistanwithclassicand modernrockand roll, country, and popmusic.

singer/songwriters Maria Uner and Zoha Zuberiin recogniꢀon of their

outstanding contribuꢀons to their ﬁelds. Tea Time with the U.S. is aired everyTuesdaybetween6:00to7:00pmon RadioPowerFM99.

KHABAR 05 NAZAR

If I lie absolutely sꢀll, the room stops spinning, and my stomach doesn't wretch. The menꢀon of food makes me feel violently ill, but I've lost ten pounds in six days and I'm afraid if I don't force myself to eat I'll stop recognizingmyselfinthemirror.

I make a half-hearted request for daal chawal to my mother. Yellow lenꢀls and rice. A staple in Pakistan, and something I ate oꢃen growing up. I've surprised myself; wracked with post-chemo side eﬀects, my brain is hardwired to derive comfort from the familiar. I start thinking about food tentaꢀvely, tesꢀng out the images of biryani and karhai in my mind. The nausea stays at bay.

'Top Chef'

The doctors had warned me about changes to my taste buds when I was diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma—iron and rot taking over sweet and savory on my tongue. I suppose it makes sense that I would want foods with ﬂavor to combat the blanket of cobwebs in my mouth. Was it because I'm a chef, or because I am Pakistani? Maybe my idenꢀty is split exactly in half, and the only ꢀme I derive pleasure is when the two sides overlap. I spent years cooking all types of food in New York City aꢃer graduaꢀng from culinary school. Then, two years ago, I quit myjob at one the largest restaurant groups in the countryandwent back to Pakistan fora fewmonths to reabsorb the food of my childhood. I wanted to open my own restaurant back in New York. I wanted to cook thefood Iﬁrstknew.

Contestant

Fatima Ali

on How Cancer Changed the Way She Cooks

I make plans to cook for the holidays in my home kitchen, despite worried protests from my family who moved halfway across the world to take care of me. Theywant me to rest and avoid the dangers of cuts and burns, but theyknowI can't stayaway. The night before Thanksgiving, I'mcryingfrustratedlyin myhospitalbed. My own body had given itself an infecꢀon and the doctors are debaꢀng my release. I hold my nurse's hand as tears stream down my face. It could almost be comical, mycrying overmissing the turkey. “I need to go homeandcook,”I tellher.

Faꢀma Ali is a Pakistani-American Chef and 'Fan Favorite' winner of the popular U.S. cooking compeꢀꢀon show ' T o p Chef.' The daughter of former Aꢁorney General Ashta r A usaf Ali, 'Chef Faꢀ' moved to the United States at age 18 to pursue her love of cooking. Following her successful appearance on ' T o p Chef , ' Faꢀma began to feel a pain in her leꢂ shoulder, later diagnosed as Ewing's Sarcoma, an aggressive bone cancer. Despite a seemingly successful iniꢀal round of treatment, the cancer returned in fall 2018, eventually taking her life on January 25, 2019. Following her iniꢀal treatment, prominent food magazine Bon Appéꢀt published the below essay wriꢁen by Faꢀma Ali detailing her love of Pakistani food, cooking, and he r ﬁ gh t a gains t c ancer.

Christmas and NewYear's Eve are spent laying the table with dish aꢃer dish from the kitchen. Garam masala roasted duck, cornbread pistachio stuffing, rose water bundt cake. Somehow the dates line up with my chemotherapy recovery weeks, and I have the strength to spend the day slowly dicing, slicing, and icing. It feels like someoneupthere islooking outforme, aꢃerall. A surgery to remove the tumor has excavated 30 percent of bone and ꢀssue from my scapula, permanently affecꢀng my range of moꢀon. I'll never be able to high-five my friends with my leꢃ hand again. WillI be able tocook?

How will I withstand a busy Saturday night service, jumping behind the line when my sous chef can't keep

KHABAR 06 NAZAR

up? Maybe I'll become the one who can't keep up. I picture myself trying to work the tandoor oven with one arm. It's a bleak thought. Establishing the perfect rhythm of slapping naan dough against the furnace-hot walls while simultaneously rotaꢀng the skewers of various marinated meats so theydon't burn to a crisp is skilled andambidextrouswork.

The edges of my thoughts are ꢀnged with worry, but I knowthat mylove forfood and cooking is so strong inside me that even cancer can't cut it down. I dream in vivid color—of Pad Thai and pasꢀna, and, in my haze of medical-marijuana-induced munchies, I chow down, relishing every bite. (Weed has been my savior, allowing me to enjoy food again and keeping the nauseaatbayduringmychemoweeks.)

I dream of my future restaurant, where the kebabs melt against your tongue and the cocktails are just sweet enough to calm the burn. I have never felt more fulﬁlled than when I let myself crawl into bed late night aꢃer a back-breaking day of cooking. I remember that feeling like phantom aches in my bones. Ticket aꢃer ꢀcket, call aꢃer call. I dream of being beꢂer. I dream of being myself again, but I know I'll never quite be the same, and that's okay. I know I'll be diﬀerent, and, despite the worry that seꢂles into me every ꢀme I wake up, I look forwardtomeeꢀngthatwomanone day.

Thank s t o he r i nstagram Page

KHABAR 07 NAZAR

A CHAT WITH ACTING DEPUTY

ASSISTANT SECRETARY

HENRY ENSHER

Henry Ensher is the Acꢀng Deputy Assistant Secretary for Pakistan at the U.S. Department of State. In this role, he is a senior U.S. Government oﬃcial overseeing the U.S.- Pakistan relaꢀonship from Washington. On a recent visit to Pakistan, he joined the Embassy's weekly radio show Tea Time with the U.S. for a conversaꢀon about his experiences as a diplomat and his current work with Pakistan. The followingis anexcerptofthatconversaꢀon.

Quesꢀon: In your job, have you been able to meet Pakistani-Americans, or the Pakistani community in the U.S.?

Acꢀng DAS Ensher: We've made a point recently of geꢁng

to know beꢂer the Pakistani-American community. It's so important as a way of building bridges between the two countries, promoꢀng mutual and shared understanding. Pakistani-Americans have contributed greatly to the United States of America. So many very disꢀnguished business people, doctors, universityprofessors.

Quesꢀon: What is a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Pakistan? Whatdoyoudo?

Acꢀng DAS Ensher: That ꢀtle just means that I'm a senior official in the Department ofState responsible forall aspects of the United States' relaꢀonship with Pakistan. So I supervise several other State Department offices and officials to carry out our government's policy towards Pakistan.
I know that they're also very interested in contribuꢀng back to Pakistan. I think as well they would do even more if they could be certain that the business climate, the ease of doing business in Pakistan were to be improved as I know the currentgovernmentwantstodo.

Quesꢀon: What are some posiꢀve steps that you've seen that Pakistan has made in regard to development of the energysector?
Quesꢀon: Can you tell us a liꢁle bit about yourself, what made you want to join the State Department, and your experiencewithPakistan?
Acꢀng DAS Ensher: I think one great thing they've done is

to bring to Pakistan several majorAmerican companies with great experꢀse in the energy business. I'm talking both about hydrocarbons and also companies interested in renewables as we see huge potenꢀal for renewables and othertypes of non-tradiꢀonal hydrocarbons. Pakistan has a great opportunity to use these resources to advance its development. We think American companies are best posiꢀoned to help. American companies are dedicated to transparency, to dealing fairly with partner companies and with partner countries, and we think oﬀer a great model in terms of cooperaꢀon, as well as access to the best possible technology.

Acꢀng DAS Ensher: Sure. I'm a Californian, from the state

of California. I was born in San Francisco, which is a famous city on the Bay, and I grew up in an agricultural area, Fresno, California. Then IwenttouniversityinLosAngeles.

On why I became a diplomat, I think it was the opportunity to serve mycountryand to do it in a waythat allowed for the building of relaꢀonships between my country and other countries in the world. I thought that was such a fascinaꢀng waytomakealivingand serveourcountry.

About 11 years ago, I was the Poliꢀcal Advisor to the Commander of Central Command which is the military command responsible for this area. In that posiꢀon, I was coming to Pakistan fairly frequently, but I have not visited sincethen. Soit'sbeenawhile.

KHABAR 08 NAZAR

Quesꢀon: How do these business a n d p e o p l e - t o - p e o p l e relaꢀonships strengthen ꢀes between the United States and Pakistan?

A c ꢀ n g D A S E n s h e r : M y

experience has been that there are someꢀmes disputes between governments, and there are poliꢀcal issues that come up that cause disagreements. However, if the rest of the relaꢀonship is strong, if the private sectors are working together, if civil socieꢀes have a strong relaꢀonship, that's the foundaꢀon of a relaꢀonship. You can see this with our best friends, our closest allies around the world. If you have that kind of relaꢀonship it goes way beyond the governmental, and the occasional poliꢀcal disputes just don't maꢂer that much. That's what we're strivingforwithPakistan.

Quesꢀon: What message would you like to share with Pakistan's youth?

Acꢀng DAS Ensher: I think every

individual has the responsibility to do what he or she can to beꢂer his or her country. And I think that today's world provides so many g r e a t o p p o r t u n i ꢀ e s f o r collaboraꢀon, for cooperaꢀon, but it is ulꢀmately up to the individual to decide how they are going to help improve their communiꢀes, improve their socieꢀes, and to help develop theircountry. Having seen so many good things from the younger people in the United S t a t e s , t h a t w i t h s t r o n g cooperaꢀon between Pakistanis and Americans in parꢀcular, there's a lot of space for real improvement in the U.S.-Pakistan relaꢀonship and forgreatthingstocome.

KHABAR 09 NAZAR

A New Mission

Through a unique summer camp iniꢀaꢀve, Islamabad's police forge bonds with their communiꢀes — one family at a ꢀme by Michael Gallant

Police oﬃcers the world over are charged with keeping order, thwarꢀng crimes, prevenꢀng harm to the public, and beyond. But for four years now, the police force in Islamabad has added a new and unexpected role to its list of responsibiliꢀes: helping kidslearnandhavefun. regular camp acꢀviꢀes include a course on traﬃc awareness and safety, presented in response to the growing numbers of carspouringthroughPakistan's streets.

The Islamabad Capital Territory Police conducts the Summer Youth Camp each year in partnership with the U.S. Embassy's Internaꢀonal Narcoꢀcs and Law Enforcement office (INL) and Internaꢀonal Criminal Invesꢀgaꢀve Training Assistance Program (ICITAP). According to U.S. Embassy program manager Shahzad Hameed, the camp was created to “bridge gaps between the police and the public, and remind the public thatpoliceofficialsarehumanbeings —justlikeus.”
In 2018, roughlyfive hundredyoung Pakistanis from the capital city and nearby Rawalpindi converged on the Islamabad Police Lines for a six-week SummerYouth Camp. Any given camp day might see children escaping the summer heat in the swimming pool, guided by expert instructors, or learning discipline and self-defense through study of the marꢀal art Taekwando. Parꢀcipants also enjoy daily adventures like learning to shoot a bow and arrow, riding horses, and navigaꢀng exhilaraꢀng obstaclecourses.
Camp staff and instructors emphasize involved, collaboraꢀve, community policing, and spark relaꢀonships among families within the community, building posiꢀve communicaꢀon, cooperaꢀon, andfriendshipsintheprocess.
Many of the Camp's offerings focus on teaching key survival skills - in a kid-friendlyway. Students regularly receive pracꢀcal first aid training, for example, with instrucꢀon focused on helping children preserve life, prevent harm, and promote recovery when faced with emergency situaꢀons. Similarly,
If reacꢀons from community members themselves are any measure, the program is a success! “I found out about the Police Lines summer camp from a few friends and we decided to send

KHABAR 10 NAZAR

our children here,” commented one parent, when asked for feedback on the program. “Our experience here was great, as our children were able to find all the opportuniꢀes and acꢀviꢀes at one place, which were hard to find elsewhere. We will definitely bring our children here next year aswell.”

Other parents praised not just the acꢀviꢀes, but the safe environment in which their children explore and learn. “I was very saꢀsfied with their pick and drop faciliꢀes, which were very safe,” said one parent, who had three children enrolled in 2018. “This is my fiꢃh ꢀme sending children to this camp. Over the years, they have learnt a lot of new skills and I can see a stark difference in their focusandsharpness.”

“Sending them to summer camp is just like sending them to their nanihal,” she conꢀnued.

Parents aren't the only ones sharing glowing reviews of the Camp. “I love swimming, marꢀal arts, archery, and obstacles,” wrote Ahmed, an enthusiasꢀc student parꢀcipant. “Theyteach us and theyalso take care of us.” Other students reﬂected Ahmed's experience, praising the fun acꢀviꢀes, friendlyinstructors, safe environment — and even the snacks they enjoy between adventures.

The Summer Camp program began in 2014 with over three hundred children aꢂending and conꢀnues to grow. Given the program's success in engaging kids and bringing together the police and community, Shahzad expects that momentum to only increase.

If you live in the Islamabad and Rawalpindi areas and want to be involved in the fun, exploraꢀon, and adventure of 2019's Summer Youth Camp, visit

to learn more. hꢁps: / /www.facebook.com/islamabadpolice/

KHABAR 11 NAZAR

Cities of the Sun

Meet Babcock Ranch, a groundbreaking model for sustainable communiꢀes of the future.

by Michael Gallant

Can enꢀre communiꢀes be powered using only the energy of the sun? It may sound like a dream, but one city on the southeasternꢀpoftheUnitedStatesis turningthisidealofsolar-basedsustainabilityintoashiningreality.

Babcock Ranch is a brand-new, eighteen thousand-acre communityin the state ofFlorida, not farfrom the majorciꢀes of Tampa, Orlando, and Fort Myers. The Ranch was conceived of in 2005 and acquired its ﬁrst residents in January 2019. The community aspires to grow tremendously to nearly twenty thousand homes, with a populaꢀon of ﬁꢃy thousandpeople, intheyearstocome.

Core to the creaꢀon of each house, road, streetlight, and sidewalk in Babcock Ranch is a commitment to eco-friendly innovaꢀons and sustainability.And powering the cityfrom the sun is just the beginning. Long before solarpanelswere laidandindustrialbaꢂerieswired, BabcockRanch's sustainabilityeﬀortsbegan, literally, fromthegroundup.

The city sits on territory that had been previously cleared and disturbed for farming or mining, part of a conscious aꢂempt by the Ranch's designers to avoid further destroying forests and other natural habitats. On-site mines conꢀnue to be tapped for construcꢀon materials, reducing the energy and waste created by imporꢀng materials from faraway.

The city's design also puts an emphasis on features like community gardens, which allow both local restaurants and residents to grow produce and avoid the cost, energy use, and polluꢀon associated with shipping in ingredients. Foliage throughout Babcock Ranch is irrigated with “grey water”—reasonably clean runoﬀ from bathroom sinks and kitchenappliancesthatwouldotherwisegotowaste.